The present invention relates generally to infant products, and more particularly to a shopping cart seat insert for an infant or toddler which may be quickly and easily converted or reconfigured into a play mat.
As is well known to parents, conventional shopping carts or buggies are typically equipped with a seat for accommodating an infant or toddler. The seat is typically located adjacent the handlebar used to push the shopping cart and oriented such that the infant or toddler placed within the seat faces the adult pushing the shopping cart. The shopping cart is outfitted with a plastic flap which may be extended along the seat bottom to provide a firm, smooth surface for the buttocks of the infant within the seat, with the shopping cart further being configured to define a pair of openings adjacent such plastic flap to accommodate respective ones of the infant's or toddler's legs.
Though the seat of the shopping cart is provided with the above-described plastic flap, the majority of the seat is defined by the structural rods or members used to form the shopping cart. In this regard, that portion of the shopping cart defining the backrest of the seat typically consists of the steel bars alone, thus being extremely uncomfortable for the infant or toddler leaning against the back of the seat.
In recognition of the configuration of the seats within most shopping carts, there has been developed in the prior art various shopping cart seat covers which are adapted to be placed within the seat of a shopping cart to function as a cushioning liner which makes the seat substantially more comfortable for the infant or toddler placed therein. Though these shopping cart seat covers provide an increased comfort level for the infant, they possess little if any utility outside the specific use thereof within the shopping cart seat.
Another item known to most parents and popular with infants and toddlers is referred to as an activity mat or play mat. Typically, play mats are provided with various activity items which may be manipulated or handled by the infant when the play mat is stretched out over the floor and the infant placed thereon. Most of the activity items may be manipulated by the infant with the infant sitting down or lying on its stomach, with the play mat further being sized and cushioned so as to serve as a surface upon which the infant or toddler can nap.
In the interests of economy, the present invention provides a uniquely configured shopping cart seat cover or insert which may be interfaced to a shopping cart in a traditional manner, and is specifically adapted to be reconfigured into a play mat for an infant or toddler. The present invention provides the attributes of both a shopping cart seat cover and a play mat within a single product, thus providing a product which is more economical as compared to most currently known shopping cart seat covers and play mats which are capable of performing only a single function. These, and other advantages of the present invention, will be discussed in more detail below.